Thursday, June 17, 2010

Friday please

I start out this very long day at 6:30 a.m. with an interesting swim in the Rez and finish it up finally at 9:15 p.m. It's blowy when I wake up this morning and I have this rule of no swimming in white caps because I'm a wimp. It turns out the water is a bit choppy but no whitecaps so it's a go. Oddly enough I have no trouble swimming a straight line, I have to sight more than normal but no big deal. Unfortunately there are a lot of people out there having issues and I get cut off by people swimming right in front on me several times. I don't think they even see me. Some of them are outright scary. Lots of people stopping to tread water too, not sure what that's about. One person cuts me off then stops to tread water right on front of me. Gotta love those Boulderites living in their own Private Idaho. Knock off the first 1000 yard loop no problem and decide to go for round 2 despite better judgement. Here's the thing about the no whitecaps rule, it's a good rule but there's not much you can do about it if you're in the middle of the lake and the winds start gusting stronger than they were when you started and suddenly there are whitecaps. And waves. Smacking you in the face because you can only breathe competently to one side despite years of practice and of course the waves are coming at you on the breathing side. And the crazy lady from above that cut me off and stopped to tread water is swimming near me right about the time the winds kick up. She drifts way off to sea away from me, well off course from the buoy and I'm somewhat relieved only to have her appear from nowhere a few minutes later to cut me off again. I decide screw the buoy and head for shore on a more direct route. I figure crazy lady will follow but as soon as she realizes she's off course she swims away back to the buoy and directly into the chop. Talk about crazy OCD triathlete. I get to shore, take of my wetsuit, head up to the parking lot and as I'm getting into my car I see her out there still thrashing around.

I wasn't happy while I was out there in the whitecaps but I didn't panic and it's good to know I can do it if I have to. But let's hope I don't have to. Ever again.

I sit down to work this morning and figure hell my day can't possibly get any worse than what I've already been through. But I'm wrong. Bring on the weekend please. I'm going to take at least part of it off for sure.